Côte des Bar: Champagne on Chablis stone
West to east across the Seine at Polisot and the Ource at Celles. No chalk here: the vines grow on Kimmeridgian marl, the rock of Chablis. Tap a layer to read it.
Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.
Schematic: Portlandian over Kimmeridgian over Oxfordian follows the general Barséquanais sequence; the contacts are to be checked against the BRGM 1:50,000 sheet for Bar-sur-Seine. The line runs about 0.6 km south of Celles village. Gerbais's three lieux-dits (Bochot, Champ Viole, Les Grandes Côtes) are not yet located: they are drawn dashed on the Celles slope, and their order along it is not known. River widths are exaggerated so they show. Ground from AWS terrain data.
6 layers, youngest at the top
Single vineyards we pour from. Tap one on the plate.
Why the Aube tastes different
- The rock is Kimmeridgian marl, not chalk: rounder texture, and a saline, stony finish.
- It is about 110 km south of Épernay, warmer and more continental, so Pinot Noir ripens fully.
- Valley slopes face many ways; growers choose sites by exposure, and frost drains to the floors.
- Celles grows an unusual amount of Pinot Blanc, which Gerbais blends into Grains de Celles.
Did you knowCelles-sur-Ource is only about 54 km from Chablis. The same small oyster, Exogyra virgula, runs through the marl under both.
Pas Mal wines on this ground
Celles-sur-Ource
- Brut Carte OrChampagne Richard Cheurlin
- Bochot Pinot Meunier 2020 BasePierre Gerbais
- Champ Viole Extra Brut Chardonnay 1500mlPierre Gerbais
- Champ Viole Extra Brut Chardonnay 2020 BasePierre Gerbais
- Grains de Celles Extra-Brut 2021 BasePierre Gerbais
- Les Grandes Côtes Blanc de Noirs 2019 BasePierre Gerbais
- Les Grandes Côtes Blanc de Noirs 2020 BasePierre Gerbais
Sources: Comité Champagne, soil pages; vinsvignesvignerons.com, Paris Basin geology; chablis.fr, Kimmeridgian subsoil; Decanter, Côte des Bar regional profile; BRGM 1:50,000 geological map, sheet Bar-sur-Seine; AWS Terrain Tiles.